PSVI-6 - Effect of industrial hemp (cannabis sativa) on rumination behavior parameters of angus cattle

Abstract: Rumination is an important behavior in cattle, maintenance of optimum rumen environment is critical to the performance and wellbeing of ruminant animals. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of industrial hemp supplementation on rumination behavior parameters of Angus cattle. Twenty black Angus heifers were completely randomized into either control (CON: n=10, receiving commercial concentrates) or hemp (HEMP: n=10, receiving 30g of hemp in 200g of commercial concentrate) in a trial that lasted for six weeks, each group was replicated twice. Hay and water were offered ad libitum, experimental diets were offered 7:00a.m daily. Rumination, ruminal pH, temperature and water intake were recorded with activity monitoring bolus (smaXtec bolus x2.0). Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX procedure for repeated measure in SAS 9.4 with Toeplitz as covariance structure while means were separated with Tukey. There was significant (p < 0.05) difference in water intake within the experimental period. Water intake ranged from 41.24-72.96 liter/day and 44.03-64.29liter/day in CON and HEMP group respectively. No significant difference was observed in the pH and rumination of the animals. Rumination behavior ranged from 289.30 mins/day to 316.20 mins/day in CON and 200 mins/day to 318mins/day in HEMP group. Likewise, pH values of 6.59 to 6.81 for CON and 6.62 to 6.74 for HEMP were recorded. No significant (p >0.05) difference was observed in the weight gain of the heifers during the experimental period. Conclusively, industrial hemp can improve rumination behavior in cattle while conserving water and maintaining optimum rumen pH thereby improving the performance of angus cattle.